Estrogen is used as a component of birth control pills, as well as for preventing osteoporosis and heart disease in menopausal women.

Some estrogen products contain the hormone in different forms. For example, certain products such as Ortho Dienestrol Vaginal Cream contain estrogen as
dienestrol.
Medications containing a form of estrogen called
estradiol
include:

Alora

Climara

Combipatch

Delestrogen (injectable)

DepGynogen (injectable)

Depo-Estradiol Cypionate (injectable)

Depogen (injectable)

Esclim

Estrace

Estraderm

Estra-L (injectable)

Estring

Fempatch

Gynogen L.A. (injectable)

Vagifem

Valergen (injectable)

Vivelle

and others

Premarin, Cenestin, Prempro, and Premphase contain another form of estrogen called
conjugated estrogens.
Other forms of estrogen and some of their brand names include
diethylstilbestrol diphosphate
(Stilphostrol),
estrone
(Kestrone-5),
esterified estrogens
(Estratab, Menest),
estropipate
(Ogen, Ortho-Est), and
ethinyl estradiol
(Estinyl) among others.

Some evidence suggests that estrogen may interfere with the absorption of folate.
1
Since folate deficiency is fairly common even among those not taking estrogen, taking a folate supplement on general principle is probably a good idea.

When the two are taken together, ipriflavone may increase estrogen's ability to protect bone.
2-6
This may allow you to use a lower dose of estrogen and still receive its beneficial effects.

However, there may be risks involved. Although ipriflavone itself probably does not affect tissues other than bone, some evidence suggests that when it is combined with estrogen, estrogen's effects on the uterus are increased.
7,8
This might mean that risk of uterine cancer would be elevated by the combination.

It should be possible to overcome this risk by taking
progesterone
along with estrogen, which is standard medical practice. However, this finding does make one wonder whether ipriflavone-estrogen combinations raise the risk of breast cancer as well, an estrogen side effect that has no easy solution. At present, there is no available information on this important subject.

Estrogen use may decrease blood levels of
magnesium
,
vitamin C
, and
zinc
.
9,10
This may mean that supplementation is advisable.

The supplement resveratrol has a chemical structure similar to that of the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol and produces estrogenic-like effects.
14
For this reason, it should not be combined with prescription estrogen products.

Weak evidence hints that the herb rosemary may enhance the liver’s rate of deactivating estrogen in the body.
20
This could potentially interfere with the activity of medications that contain estrogen.

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is a substance found in broccoli that is thought to have cancer preventive effects. One of its mechanisms of action is thought to involve facilitating the inactivation of estrogen, as well as blocking its effects on cells.
13,17-18
The net result could be decreased effectiveness of medications containing estrogen.

The herb dong quai
(Angelica sinensis)
is used for menstrual disorders.

Because dong quai contains beta-sitosterol, a phytoestrogen,
15
there have been concerns that taking the herb with estrogen might add to estrogen-related side effects. However, a 24-week,
placebo-controlled
study of 74 postmenopausal women found no estrogen-like effects or reduction of menopausal symptoms associated with taking dong quai.
16

Revision Information

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.